From Uros, we spent about 3 hours on the water going to Amantani Island. On this ride is when you get an appreciation for the size of the lake and the gorgeous water! It was a beautiful morning and (thankfully) the water was not choppy at all – perfect for getting some sun and then a nap before reaching Amantani island for our overnight stay.

When planning a trip to Peru, Lake Titicaca is not always at the top of one’s priority list. Peru normally brings images of Machu Picchu or the Nazca lines, but the lake definitely deserves to be right up there! The lake is the highest navigable (by commercial craft) lake in the world – at 12,500 feet above sea level, and is the largest in South America, at over 8000 square kilometers. Sitting at the border between Peru and Bolivia, we started our exploration of the lake from the commercialized port city of Puno in Peru.

Barranco is Lima’s bohemian, funky neighborhood. It is artsy, creative, laid back, trendy, and mostly non-touristy, which made me love it even though we spent less than 24 hours here. Read on for ideas on how to spend 24 hours in this neighborhood.

I honestly believe there is no better way to experience a culture than through its food, and always try to stop by a local market when traveling. The Mercado San Pedro is a local market in Cusco and basically has everything you would need. The market is big, the length of about 3 blocks, and a block wide, and packed with vendors. It has aisles upon aisles of fruit, vegetables, food stalls, food products, pastries, juices, herbs, textiles, and all sorts of other stuff.

We spent a few days in Cusco acclimatizing before our Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu. I absolutely LOVED the city – the ancient Inca capital is steeped in history and culture, and is filled to the brim with Inca and Spanish history, churches, beautiful architecture, artisanal markets, local Peruvian culture, and fantastic restaurants and bars. Yes, it is also filled with tourists who use it as a base before exploring the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, but it is a truly breathtaking experience. The city is nestled in the mountains and has spectacular views all around. There are many ways to explore the city and many things to see and do.

“Pachamama” – Mother Earth is worshipped by Peruvians. 5 minutes in the Sacred Valley, and you can see why...

The Sacred Valley is the stretch of the Andes that lies between Cusco and Machu Picchu – a stretch of villages and ruins, and picture perfect panoramas as you drive through mountains, quinoa, potato, and corn fields, agricultural terraces and beautiful Inca ruins. During our recent trip to Peru, we spent a day exploring this gorgeous valley, and highly recommend you spend some time there.

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu really is an amazing trek and experience, but it does require a bit of planning. Here’s what you need to know if you are considering doing this once in a lifetime experience. Read on for planning tips.

Day 4 of the trail goes by fast, everyone just wants to get it done. The final day of the trail starts at 3.30 am. We woke up, had the usual coca tea, packed our things and walked to the control checkpoint where we joined all our fellow hikers at about 4.15am, waiting for the checkpoint to open at 5.30 am.

At the end of the second day of the Inca Trail, I felt a massive relief that the hard part was over and that it would be non-stop fun all the time from there on out. As it turned out, Day 3 was THE HARDEST part of the hike for me. It was mostly nerve wracking due to the steep Inca stone steps that we had to descend for hours on end.

After a fun and successful first day hiking the Inca trail, we awoke on Day 2 knowing that the day would be intense – our main goal was to hike up to the menacing sounding Dead Woman’s pass, the highest elevation we would reach in the 4 day trail.